THE RELATION BETWEEN DISTANCE AND COUNSELING TREATMENT OUTCOME AMONG CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE CLIENTS

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Abstract

Although the Asian population is vastly heterogeneous, previous research on the relation between driving distance, treatment outcome, and drop-out have examined Asian ethnicities together instead of as distinct ethnic groups. The current study examined Chinese and Vietnamese clients separately in order to investigate the relation between ethnicity, distance, and treatment outcomes (i.e., completion of treatment goals and number of days in treatment). Participant data was obtained from a de-identified database of clients who sought counseling services at an ethnic-specific agency. Findings indicate that driving distance from the agency is significantly related to treatment completion but is not significantly related to number of days in treatment. The interaction between ethnicity and distance was not statistically significant, however the results of this study suggest that further research is necessary to understand the impact that ethnicity and distance have on treatment outcome. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.